We have performed ab initio neutrino radiation hydrodynamics simulations in three and two spatial dimensions (3D and 2D) of core-collapse supernovae from the same 15 M progenitor through 440 ms after core bounce. Both 3D and 2D models achieve explosions, however, the onset of explosion (shock revival) is delayed by ∼100 ms in 3D relative to the 2D counterpart and the growth of the diagnostic explosion energy is slower. This is consistent with previously reported 3D simulations utilizing iron-core progenitors with dense mantles. In the ∼100 ms before the onset of explosion, diagnostics of neutrino heating and turbulent kinetic energy favor earlier explosion in 2D. During the delay, the angular scale of convective plumes reaching the shock surface grows and explosion in 3D is ultimately lead by a single, large-angle plume, giving the expanding shock a directional orientation not dissimilar from those imposed by axial symmetry in 2D simulations. We posit that shock revival and explosion in the 3D simulation may be delayed until sufficiently large plumes form, whereas such plumes form more rapidly in 2D, permitting earlier explosions.

We present four ab initio axisymmetric core-collapse supernova simulations initiated from 12, 15, 20, and 25 M  zero-age main sequence progenitors. All of the simulations yield explosions and havebeen evolved for at least 1.2 s after core bounce and 1 s after material first becomes unbound. These simulations were computed with our CHIMERA code employing RbR spectral neutrino transport, special and general relativistic transport effects, and state-of-the-art neutrino interactions. Continuing the evolution beyond 1 s after core bounce allows the explosions to develop more fully and the processes involved in powering the explosions to become more clearly evident. We compute explosion energy estimates, including the negative gravitational binding energy of the stellar envelope outside the expanding shock, of 0.34, 0.88, 0.38, and 0.70 Bethe (B≡10 51 erg) and increasing at 0.03, 0.15, 0.19, and 0.52 B s 1 -, respectively, for the 12, 15, 20, and 25 M  models at the endpoint of this report. We examine the growth of the explosion energy in our models through detailed analyses of the energy sources and flows. We discuss how the explosion energies may be subject to stochastic variations as exemplfied by the effect of the explosion geometry of the 20 M  model in reducing its explosion energy. We compute the proto-neutron star masses and kick velocities. We compare our results for the explosion energies and ejected Ni 56 masses against some observational standards despite the large error bars in both models and observations.

We present the gravitational waveforms computed in ab initio two-dimensional core collapse supernova models evolved with the Chimera code for progenitor masses between 12 and 25 M . All models employ multi-frequency neutrino transport in the ray-by-ray approximation, state-of-the-art weak interaction physics, relativistic transport corrections such as the gravitational redshift of neutrinos, two-dimensional hydrodynamics with the commensurate relativistic corrections, Newtonian self-gravity with a general relativistic monopole correction, and the Lattimer-Swesty equation of state with 220 MeV compressibility, and begin with the most recent Woosley-Heger nonrotating progenitors in this mass range. All of our models exhibit robust explosions. Therefore, our waveforms capture all stages of supernova development: 1) a relatively short and weak prompt signal, 2) a quiescent stage, 3) a strong signal due to convection and SASI activity, 4) termination of active accretion onto the proto-neutron star, and 5) a slowly increasing tail that reaches a saturation value. Fourier decomposition shows that the gravitational wave signals we predict should be observable by AdvLIGO for Galactic events across the range of progenitors considered here. The fundamental limitation of these models is in their imposition of axisymmetry. Further progress will require counterpart three-dimensional models, which are underway.

We investigate core-collapse supernova (CCSN) nucleosynthesis with self-consistent, axisymmetric (2D) simulations performed using the neutrino hydrodynamics code CHIMERA. Computational costs have traditionally constrained the evolution of the nuclear composition within multidimensional CCSN models to, at best, a 14-species α-network capable of tracking only (α, γ) reactions from 4 He to 60 Zn. Such a simplified network limits the ability to accurately evolve detailed composition and neutronization or calculate the nuclear energy generation rate. Lagrangian tracer particles are commonly used to extend the nuclear network evolution by incorporating more realistic networks in post-processing nucleosynthesis calculations. However, limitations such as poor spatial resolution of the tracer particles, inconsistent thermodynamic evolution, including misestimation of expansion timescales, and uncertain determination of the multidimensional mass-cut at the end of the simulation impose uncertainties inherent to this approach. We present a detailed analysis of the impact of such uncertainties for four self-consistent axisymmetric CCSN models initiated from stellar metallicity, non-rotating progenitors of 12 M , 15 M , 20 M , and 25 M and evolved with the smaller α-network to more than 1 s after the launch of an explosion.